Process of and apparatus for separating mixed materials



April 3, 1934,

PRcEss OF AND w. L. REMICK 1,953,724 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MIXED MATERIALS Filed Aug. 15. 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1934- w. l... REMICK 1,953,724

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MIXED MATERIALS Filed Aug. 15, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIB. E-

W. L. REMICK April 3, 1934.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MIXED MATERIALS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 15, 1931 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEPA- RATING IVIIXED MATERIALS Walter L. Remick, Hazleton, .Pa., assignor to Hydrotator Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application August 15, 1931, Serial No. 557,417

Claims.

My invention consists in a new and useful improvement in process of and apparatus for the separation of mixed materials and is designed for separating materials of different specific gravity,

5 and particularly for the treatment of ore to separate it from other materials with which it is mixed. My improved process consists of two.

steps: (1st) wherein the finer particles of light material are removed by hydraulic classification, leaving a mixture of (a) coarse particles of heavy material; (b) coarse particles of light material, and (c) fine particles of heavy material; (2nd) wherein the fine particles of heavy material (0 in the first step) are used to build up a high density classifying medium whereby the coarse particles of light material (b in the first step) may be floated from the coarse particles of heavy material (a in the first step) and subsequently separated from the fine particles of heavy material by screening.

While I have hereinafter fully described my improved process and one specific embodiment of my improved apparatus as fully illustrated in the drawings filed herewith, it is to be distinctly understood that I do not consider my invention limited to this specific embodiment and its operation, but refer for the scope of pay invention of both process and apparatus to the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus. 1

Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

Fig. 3 is a section on lined-4i of Fig. 1.

To perform the initial step in my improved process, I make use of the classifying apparatus described and claimed in United States Letters Patent Number 1,767,227, granted to me on June 24, 1930. This apparatus has the liquid-contain- 'ing tank 1 having suitably mounted thereover the supporting frame 2 from which dependsthe rotatable pipe 3 extending into the tank 1 and received about the upper end of the pipe 4 which passes through'the bottom of the tank 1. Extending laterally from the pipe 3 adjacent the bottom of the tank 1 there is a series of pipes 5 in through pipe 3 and providing a constricted throat 10. The shaft? is provided upon its lower end.-

with impeller blades 11, and the pipe 3 is provided at a suitable point between the top of the tank 1 and the plane of the blades 11 with a series of openings 12. The tank 1 is provided with an overflow launder 13 with a discharge opening 14. I provide any suitable form of chute C for suplying the materials to the tank 1. The tank 1 at its bottom the discharge pipe 15, with the con 01 valve 16, over the sluice S.

orm the subsequent step in my improved process, by treating the product flowing from the discharge pipe 15, I provide a concentrator such as is described and claimed in United States Letters Patent Number 1,511,643, having the tank 17 under the sluice S, with an overflow launder 18 having the discharge opening 19. Suitably positioned above the tank 17, I provide any suitable form of support 20 for the rotatable shaft 21 upon the lower end of which and suitably disposed in the tank 17 is the five-way head 22 carrying four distributing pipes 23 having thereon depending nozzles 24 disposed at an angle to the bottom 25 of the tank 17. The lower end of the head 22 has the depending pipe 26 engaged over the upper end of the inlet pipe 27 extending to as side of the pump P, and I provide a check valve,

as at V, betweenthe pump 19 and the inlet pipe 2'7,

so arranged as to permit flow of liquid from the pump P to the interior of the tank 17 and prevent escape of liquid from the tank 17 through pipe 27 when the pump P is not in operation; I provide any suitable means for driving the pump P, as a motor IVE- 1. I provide a sump 28 connected with the intake side of the pump P. I provide a hopper H suitably supported over the sump 28 so as to discharge thereinto. It isto be noted that the sump 28 has an inclined baflle plate 29, the lower edge 30 of which is spaced a short distance from the discharge oi sump 28 to the pump P and the upper edge 31 of whichis spaced a short distancefrom the discharge opening of the hopperH. I provide an over-flow opening 32 for sump 28.-

I provide an inclined shaker screen 33 suitably supported abcve the hopper H and below the discharge opening 19 of tank 17 and having the pulley 34 which may be driven by any suitable means (not shown) for shaking the screen Suitably disposed adjacent the bottom 25 of thetank 17, I provide a discharge chute 35 leading from thednterior of the tank 17 to the bottom of the scraper elevator 36 and having the slide valve 3'7 with its control rod 38. The elevator 36 has its lower shaft 39 provided with a pulley 40 which may be driven by any suitable means (not shown) for operating the elevator 36. The upper discharge end 41 of the elevator 36 may be supplied with any suitable form of means (not shown) for carrying off the product delivered by the elevator 36. It is to be noted (Fig. 1) that the upper discharge end 41 of the elevator 36is at a height considerably above the top of the tank 17, and at a point somewhat above the level of the top of the tank 1'7, I provide the elevator 36 with a discharge sluice S1 which permits the liquid carried up in the elevator 36 to drain back into the tank 17.

From the foregoing description of the details of construction of my improved apparatus, its operation in the practice of my improved process will be obvious. The tank 1 is filled with water through the pipe 4. The mixed materials, as for instance iron ore mixed with its associated materials as mined, are run into tank 1 by the chute C. The hydraulic classification performed by my construction in tank 1 causes the slimes of lighter material to discharge from the top of the tank 1 through the launder 13 and its overflow 14, while the particles of ore, both fine and coarse, are deposited on the bottom of the tank 1, with such of the coarse particles of the light material as have not been overfiowed. This accumulation is dischaged from the tank 1 through the pipe 15 and sluice S into tank 17 which has been filled with water from any suitable source of supply. The operation of the concentrating process in tank 17 causes the coarse heavy particles of ore to deposit on the bottom 25 of the tank 17, and the coarse light particles of the other material,-with the fine particles of ore, to overflow tank 17 through the launder 18 and from the discharge opening 19 pass over the shaker screen 33. The coarse light particles are discharged to waste, while the fine particles of ore pass with the water through the screen 33, and hopper H, into the sump 28 and are returned to the tank 17 by circulating through the pump P. Thus it will be seen that I provide for building up the density of the liquid in the tank 17 by circulating the fine particles of ore, therein, thus materially increasing the specific gravity of the concentrating liquid medium, and thereby assuring a more complete separation of the particles of ore from the particles of lighter material.

When a suflicient quantity of ore has become deposited on the bottom 25 of the tank 17, the valve 3'7 may be opened by its control rod 38, thereby permitting the ore to be discharged from the tank 17 through the chute 35 into the elevator 36, by which it is elevated to be discharged at 'the upper end 41 of the elevator 36, as the product of my improved process.

It is to be noted that such of the liquid medium as is carried up from the discharge chute 35 by the scraper elevator 36 to a point above the level of the top of the tank 17 will escape from the elevator 36 by the sluice S1 and return thereby to the tank 17 carrying with it such of the particles of fine ore as may be held in suspension in the liquid.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of separating mixed materials which consists in subjecting the materials to the effect of an upwardly flowing current of liquid thereby, removing from the mixture the fine particles of the lighter material, removing the mixture of fine and coarse particles of the heavy material and the coarse particles of the light material from said current, subjecting said mixture to hydraulic concentration in a liquid medium; removing the mixture of coarse particles of the light material and the fine particles of the heavy material from the liquid medium; separating the fine particles of the heavy material from the coarse particles of the light material, returning the fine particles of the heavy material to the liquid medium, and removing the accumulated particles of the heavy material from the liquid medium.

2. The process of separating ore from its associated material which consists in subjecting the mixture to the effect of an upwardly flowing current of liquid thereby removing the slimes, removing the mixture of coarse and fine particles of ore and coarse particles of the associated material from said current, subjecting said mixture to the action of a concentrating liquid medium, increasing the density of said medium by concentration of the fine particles of ore therein, removing the coarse particles of the associated material, and removing the accumulated ore.

3. The process of separating mixed materials which consists in subjecting the materials to the effect of an upwardly flowing current of liquid thereby removing from the mixture the fine particles of the lighter material, removing the mixture of'fine and coarse particles of the heavy material and the coarse particles of the light material from said current, subjecting said mixture to hydraulic concentration by the circulation of a liquid medium, recovering from said medium the coarse particles of the light material, maintaining the circulation of only the fine particles of the heavy material, and recovering from said medium an accumulation of the particles of the heavy material.

4. The process of separating ore from its associated material which consists in subjecting the mixture to the effect of an upwardly flowing current of liquid thereby removing the slimes, removing the mixture of coarse and fine particles of ore and coarse particles of the associated material from said current, subjecting said mixture to the concentrating action of a circulating fluid medium, recovering from said medium the coarse particles of the associated material, maintaining the circulation of only the fine particles of ore, and recovering from said medium an accumulation of ore.

5. In an apparatus for separating mixed materials, the combination of a tank for a liquid medium; means in said tank adapted to circulate the liquid medium through said tank; an overflow launder at the top of said tank; a shaker screen under said overflow launder; a hopper under said screen; a sump under said hopper and in communication with the said circulating means of said tank; a discharge chute from the bottom of said tank; an elevator from said chute, having its upper discharge end elevated considerably above the said launder; and a sluice leading out of the casing of the elevator, discharging into said tank at a point directly above the top of said tank. WALTER. L. REMICK. 

